What better way to see in 2016 than with the smell of fresh bread wafting through the kitchen?

I was lucky enough to be bought a stunning Boysenberry KitchenAid for Christmas, which complements the ‘Aubergine’ wall in our kitchen. My first thought was, “what shall I make for my first bake”?

I decided to christen this beautiful retro inspired addition to our home by making fresh bread, using the basic bread recipe in Jamie Oliver’s Happy Days with the Naked Chef but I halved the quantities.

I’ve already got a bread maker, but this was the first time I’d proved and baked a loaf in my new kitchen. What better way to see in the new year?

The KitchenAid dough hook attachment is fantastic and created a beautiful shiny stretchy dough, which I shaped into an elongated sphere and placed on a floured baking tray. Because I halved Jamie’s quantities, I decided to bake it for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius which I think may have just been five minutes too long. But, the result was beautiful (if a bit rough looking around the edges!)

The best part of my first from-scratch bread making experience? Slicing off a wodge of bread whilst it was still warm and lathering it with salted butter. Delicious.

Have you got any bread recipes you’d recommend for me to try?